Sanctions await defaulting treasurers in SW

- Treasurer General (TPG)
 By Ajongakou Santos in Limbe

Ayuk Peter Akpoeban, Paymaster General, SW

Municipal Treasurers and Accountants of Public Administrative Establishments of the 31 municipal councils that make up the South West region have been told they will go down for it should they fail to respect the April ending deadline for submission of accounts to the regional treasury. Mr. Peter Akpoeban Ayuk, South West Treasurer Paymaster General (TPG) signaled the warning on Friday 17 April 2015, in Limbe while addressing participants at the first coordination meeting of SW public accountants for 2015.
    He also frowned at what he described as paltry utilization of public investment credits and sluggish execution of public contracts, saying this makes it difficult to get a clear picture of the progress of development projects in the region.
    Based on facts and figures gathered so far since the launch of the 2015 financial year in Buea, it emerged that much is still to be done in balancing accounts from the municipal councils; this as most, if not all of them are yet to submit all their accounts at the regional treasury. The TPG noted with dismay that some councils have not submitted any accounts for five years running.

    As for uncompleted investment projects, Peter Ayuk explained that those that were not finished in 2013 will be moved to 2015, but emphasized that all projects that fail to be executed this year will not be transferred to the new tri-annual financial program (2016 – 2019), without being re-voted by the parliament.
    Representing the SW Governor at the meeting, Mr. Clement Fon Ndikum- Secretary General at the South West Governor’s office underscored the necessity to reinforce the fight against corruption and misappropriation of public funds. He joined his voice to that of the TPG by also decrying the underutilization of investment credits. Fon Ndikum called for better management of public finances as the only way of ensuring meaningful development in the SW region.
    It should be noted that with increased unethical practices by public accountants, the Director General of Treasury in a circular dated 1st April 2015, has imposed a quarterly verification of the respect of deadlines for all payments; the chronological treatment of files for payment; a compulsory 48-hour treatment period for all files received; the opening and effective use of attendance sheets in all stations; the presence of suggestion boxes in all stations and the creation of a committee for the designation of the best worker of the circumscription at the end of each quarter.
    This first coordination meeting of treasury accountants also witnessed an exposé on the 2015 Finance Law and the circular on the execution of the 2015 state budget. There were also presentations of activity reports by heads of sub-treasuries and treasury stations, accounting officers, in-land revenue collectors, municipal and Taxation Treasurers and chiefs of customs.
    Also present at the conclave were the S.D.O for Fako, the representative of the Limbe Government Delegate, the Regional Controller of Finance, the Regional Chief of Taxation, among others.